Usage note
“询问”是礼貌地问问题，想知道答案。
“xún wèn” shì lǐ mào de wèn wèn tí, xiǎng zhī dào dá àn.
"Inquire" means to politely ask a question, wanting to know the answer.
Context note
在图书馆，你可以向管理员询问如何借书。
Zài tú shū guǎn, nǐ kě yǐ xiàng guǎn lǐ yuán xún wèn rú hé jiè shū.
In the library, you can inquire of the librarian how to borrow books.
5 examples
他询问老师作业的题目。
tā xún wèn lǎo shī zuò yè de tí mù。
He inquired of the teacher about the homework topic.
我询问同学几点放学。
wǒ xún wèn tóng xué jǐ diǎn fàng xué。
I inquired of my classmate what time school ends.
她询问妈妈能不能出去玩。
tā xún wèn mā ma néng bu néng chū qù wán。
She inquired of Mom if she could go out to play.
我们询问售票员票价多少。
wǒ men xún wèn shòu piào yuán piào jià duō shǎo。
We inquired of the ticket seller how much the ticket costs.
小明询问朋友喜欢什么颜色。
xiǎo míng xún wèn péng yǒu xǐ huan shén me yán sè。
Xiao Ming inquired of his friend what color he likes.
5 mini stories
小红询问老师如何种花。老师耐心回答。
xiǎo hóng xún wèn lǎo shī rú hé zhǒng huā。 lǎo shī nài xīn huí dá。
Xiao Hong inquired of the teacher how to plant flowers. The teacher answered patiently.
我询问爸爸明天去哪里玩。爸爸说去公园。
wǒ xún wèn bà ba míng tiān qù nǎ lǐ wán。 bà ba shuō qù gōng yuán。
I inquired of Dad where to go play tomorrow. Dad said go to the park.
她询问图书馆阿姨有没有故事书。阿姨说有。
tā xún wèn tú shū guǎn ā yí yǒu méi yǒu gù shì shū。 ā yí shuō yǒu。
She inquired of the library aunt if there were storybooks. The aunt said yes.
我们询问导游下一个景点是什么。导游告诉我们。
wǒ men xún wèn dǎo yóu xià yí gè jǐng diǎn shì shén me。 dǎo yóu gào sù wǒ men。
We inquired of the tour guide what the next scenic spot is. The guide told us.
小明询问同桌借铅笔。同桌借给他。
xiǎo míng xún wèn tóng zhuō jiè qiān bǐ。 tóng zhuō jiè gěi tā。
Xiao Ming inquired of his deskmate to borrow a pencil. The deskmate lent it to him.
Mini dialogue
询问时间
A
我可以询问一下现在几点吗？
Wǒ kěyǐ xúnwèn yīxià xiànzài jǐ diǎn ma?
May I inquire what time it is now?
B
当然，现在是三点半。
Dāngrán, xiànzài shì sān diǎn bàn.
Of course, it's half past three.
询问作业
A
我想询问今天的作业是什么。
Wǒ xiǎng xúnwèn jīntiān de zuòyè shì shénme.
I want to inquire what today's homework is.
B
好的，我告诉你。
Hǎo de, wǒ gàosu nǐ.
Okay, I'll tell you.
Related words and contrasts
similar
问
wèn
ask
simpler word for ask
opposite
回答
huídá
answer
opposite of asking
similar
打听
dǎtīng
ask about
casual way to ask for information